Editorial
Appreciation, please!
A craftsman categorically rules out working for a certain professional group. The reason: poor payment ethics and know-it-all attitude. A call for more acceptance.
Michael Schmiedl, a tiler from Altmühltal, had not expected such a media response. "Are you an engineer at Audi or Siemens? Then please click here," can be read on his website. One click further on, he explains his decision as to why he no longer wants to work for engineers, doctoral students and professors at Siemens and Audi: poor payment ethics and know-it-all attitude.
At this point, I would like to recommend everyone to go to Michael Schmiedl's website and read the letters published there. There is enormous support, even from Audi and Siemens employees. It is interesting that many thank Mr. Schmiedl for his courage in calling a spade a spade.
Mr. Schmiedl has struck a nerve. He addresses a problem that affects the entire (working) world: a lack of appreciation - for colleagues, for employees, for professional expertise, for healthy cooperation.
Appreciation starts with a simple "please". There are several emotional levels between a "Please do ..." and a "Can you please ...". A "thank you" can make the other person feel good, and a request for support or a question of understanding is by no means an admission of incompetence. On the contrary, it can provide more clarity. Admitting competence is also a question of appreciation: we cannot know everything. This is also the reason why a dentist does not carry out electrical installations, a controller does not operate a 5-axis machining center and an engineer does not lay tiles. Everyone has individual talents and the majority have enjoyed a sound and specialized education, now it is up to us to accept that.
We are dependent on interdisciplinary teams and development partners to master digitalization. Without understanding and acceptance of the skills of others, we will no longer be competitive. Nobody wants to work for a long time in a team or company where resentment, envy and arrogance are the order of the day. Because one thing is certain: in the end, appreciation is also value creation.









